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Emirates is reducing or downsizing flights to most Australian destinations from next month. Some flights have been cancelled, while other services will be downgraded from Airbus A380 to Boeing 777 services.
According to Routes Online, the Emirates service reductions vary by route. But most of the affected flights are during November this year or between mid-January and late March 2019.
First and Business Class passengers on flights downgraded from an A380 to a Boeing 777 will lose access to Emirates’ famous on-board bar and (for First passengers) in-flight showers. Business passengers also see their seats downgraded from lie-flat beds with direct aisle access, to angle-flat beds in a 2-3-2 configuration. For Economy passengers, Emirates’ Boeing 777 seats are narrower than on the A380.
If your flight has been cancelled, contact the airline to make alternative arrangements or request a refund.
Here is an overview of the changes to Emirates’ Australian and New Zealand services over the coming months:
Adelaide
The aircraft operating Emirates’ daily Adelaide-Dubai flight will be changed from a Boeing 777-300ER to a smaller Boeing 777-200LR from 28 October to 30 November 2018, and again from 1 February to 30 March 2019. The Emirates Boeing 777-200LR has no First Class cabin.
Sydney
The daily Sydney-Bangkok-Dubai service will be downgraded from an Airbus A380 to a Boeing 777-300ER from 15 January 2019.
Perth
Emirates’ second-daily Perth-Dubai flight, EK424/425, will be reduced from daily to 4x weekly. These Emirates service reductions apply from 7-28 November 2018 and 2 February to 30 March 2019.
Melbourne
From 28 October, the daily Dubai-Singapore-Melbourne service will have a schedule change. The Singapore-Melbourne leg will change from a redeye to a mid-afternoon departure from Singapore, with an arrival in Melbourne just after midnight.
This route will also be downgraded from an Airbus A380 to a Boeing 777-300ER from 2-20 November 2018 and 15 January to 30 March 2019.
Brisbane
From 28 October, the daily Singapore-Brisbane service changes from a mid-afternoon departure from Singapore to a 10.10am takeoff time.
The changes to the Melbourne and Brisbane schedules are discussed on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: EK retimes BNE and MEL departures from SIN
Auckland
The Emirates service reductions also affect our friends in New Zealand. Emirates’ daily Auckland-Denpasar-Dubai flight will reduce to 5x weekly from 12 November to 5 December 2018. It will be further reduced to 4x weekly from 21 January to 30 March 2019.
Other changes
Emirates will also drop its fifth-freedom route between Singapore and Colombo from 28 October.
Thai Airways also recently announced cuts to its Australian services. These too come into effect from 28 October. It was previously reported these service reductions would be temporary, but they now appear permanent.
Meanwhile, Etihad Airways will cease all flights to Perth from next week.
